JPH0459093B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a parts conveying device that can be used in automatic assembly systems and the like.

First, the assembly process of a main body chassis for a copying machine to which the present invention can be applied will be explained using FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the parts conveying device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned copying machine, but can be applied to a wide range of applications in which aligned parts are sent to a common position.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an outline of the manufacturing process of the main body chassis for a copying machine, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the entire automatic assembly line for the chassis.

In FIG. 2, 1 is a conveyor for side plates 5 and 6, along which a first parts mounting device 2 and a second parts mounting device 3 are arranged. Reference numeral 4 denotes a conveyance device for conveying the front side plate 5 and the rear side plate 6 shown by two-dot chain lines to the positioning table 7.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the front side plate 5 and the rear side plate 6 are a front side plate group 5' and a rear side plate group in a loaded state with spacers 10 shown by broken lines, which are a type of cushioning material made of styrene foam, etc., alternately sandwiched between them. forming 6′,
It is arranged along a guide rail 11 that constitutes a part of the conveyance device 4. A work holding device 12, which is not shown in the figure, holds the front plate 5 or the rear plate 6 stacked at the top from each front plate group 5' or rear plate group 6', and the spacer 10 placed thereon. After being taken out at the same time, these works (5 or 6) and the spacer 1 are guided by the guide rail 11.
0 to the positioning table 7. In the positioning table 7, after placing only the front side plate 5 or the rear side plate 6 in the center of the positioning table 7, it goes back along the original route and returns to the position of the front side plate group 6' or the rear side plate group 5'. During the process, the spacers 10 are dumped into the spacer reservoir _12a or _12b .

Accurate positioning of the supplied front side plate 5 or rear side plate 6 is performed sequentially on the positioning table 7, and each side plate (5) thus positioned is
Or 6) is conveyor 1 for side plate by loader 8.
It is transported onto a side plate pallet (not shown) that is stopped in front of the first parts mounting device 2 above. The first parts mounting device 2 is a parts feeder 9
The various parts supplied from the parts feeder 9 are transported in the direction shown by the arrow X or the arrow Y perpendicular to this in FIG. Pins _13a and _13b as shown in the figure are first supplied to predetermined positions on the side plate pallet before the work W arrives on the pallet by the loader 8. Pins _13a and 1 thus set on the side plate pallet
_3b , the accurately positioned front plate 5 or rear plate 6 is carried by the loader 8, and the threaded portions of the pins _13a and _13b are inserted into the holes of the front plate 5 or the rear plate 6. is inserted.

When the engagement between the front side plate 5 or the rear side plate 6 (hereinafter referred to as side plate 5 or 6 ₎ and the pins 13a and _13b is completed, the loader 8 returns to its original position and replaces the nut runner (not shown) with the pins 13a and 13b. tightening machine) tightens nuts _14a and 1 to the threaded parts of pins _13a and _13b .
_4b to complete the attachment of the pins _13a and _13b to the workpiece W.

In this way, the side plate 5 has pins _13a on one side of 6.
and _13b is completed, the side plate 5 or 6 is conveyed by the side plate conveyor 1 to the operating area of the reversing device 15 provided in front of the second parts mounting device 3, where the reversing device 15 Meanwhile, the other pins _16a and _16b as shown in FIG.
The second parts mounting device 3 operates to mount the pins 16 _a and 16 _b on the side plate pallet.

When both pins _16a and _16b have been attached to the pallet for the side plates, the reversing device 15 rotates to turn the side plate 5 or 6 upside down, and then the holes drilled at predetermined positions in the side plate 5 or 6 are opened. Place the side plate 5 or 6 on the side plate pallet so that the threaded portions of the pins _16a and _16b are inserted. Here, similarly to the first parts mounting device, a nut runner (not shown) is attached to the nut 1.
Tighten pins 7 _a and 17 _b into the threaded portions of pins 16 _a and 16 _b to fix pins 16 _a and 16 _b to (side plate 5 or 6). The side plate 5 or 6, on which the four pins have been fixed in this manner, is conveyed to the side plate conveyor 1 and sent in the direction of the assembly device 18.

Board conveyor 20 for transporting the board 19
is arranged parallel to the side plate conveyor 1,
A third parts mounting device 22 connected to the parts feeder 21 is disposed at the starting point. A positioning table 23 for the board 19 is provided at a position facing the third parts mounting device 22 with the board conveyor 20 interposed therebetween. A guide rail 24 is connected to the positioning table 23 in parallel to the substrate conveyor 20, and a rotor holding device 25 for the substrate 19 is connected along the guide rail 24.
The uppermost board 19 of the board group 19' (see FIG. 1) in a loaded state arranged along the guide rail 24 and the spacer _10a for partitioning it.
After simultaneously holding the substrates 19 and transporting them along the guide rails 24 and supplying only the substrate 19 to the center of the positioning table 23, the workpiece group 1 is further moved backwards.
On the way back to 9', the spacer _10a is dumped into the spacer storage section 26. Board group 19′ as described above
A guide rail 24 for taking out and transporting the substrate 19, a work holding device 25, etc. constitute a work transport device 4'.

The board 19 that has been accurately positioned on the positioning table 23 is moved onto the board conveyor 20 that is stopped in front of the third parts mounting device 22 by a loader 27 that runs perpendicular to the board conveyor 20. The parts such as the handle rubber 28 and base rubber 29 shown in FIG.
The parts 28 and 29 are sequentially supplied onto the substrate 19 by the first and third parts attaching devices 22, and are fixed onto the substrate 19 by a bolt tightening device (not shown).

The board 19 on which the parts have been set is transferred to the assembly device 1 by the board conveyor 20.
It is transferred in the direction of 8.

The assembly device 18 assembles the front plate 5, the rear plate 6, and the base plate 19, each of which has the parts shown in FIG. The main body chassis 31 that has completed the process is further moved to a chassis reversing device 32
After being reversed by the inverter, it is transferred to the next process.

9,1 used in the above assembly system
In parts feeders such as 7, 21, etc., a fixed number of parts are generally fed to the parts mounting device 2, each time there is a command.
3, 22, etc., and if its operation is not reliable, it will cause a blockage in the parts conveyance process, resulting in the production of defective products, or the entire assembly line will stop, significantly reducing efficiency. It turns out.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a parts conveying device that can deliver a fixed amount of parts and reliably deliver the delivered parts to a working position common to each part where work such as assembly is performed. The main purpose of this service is to transport parts that are fed out in an aligned state from multiple hoppers each containing different types of parts by a parts feeder installed in each hopper to a common position. In the parts conveying device that
a parts separation and feeding device that temporarily stores the parts sent out from each parts feeder and sends them out in fixed quantities based on a sending command; and a single conveyance device that is arranged along the plurality of hoppers and connected to the common position. a plurality of holders that are attached to the conveyance device and receive the parts sent from the parts separation and feeding device at their stop positions;
A holder position detector detects the position of the holder, and based on the holder position information from the holder position detector, the parts are placed in a predetermined holder according to type according to the work procedure to be performed on the parts. The object of the present invention is to provide a parts conveying device comprising the above-mentioned parts separating and feeding device and a control means for controlling the conveying device so that the parts can be fed and conveyed.

Next, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention.

Here, FIG. 3 is a side view of a parts conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front view of the same, and FIG. 5 is a part separation and feeding device used in the parts conveyance device. FIG. 1A is a side view thereof, and FIGS. 7B to 6D are plan views showing the operating state of the separating and feeding device.

As shown in FIG. 4, the parts feeder 38 takes out parts separately from a plurality of hoppers H ₁ , ₂ , ... (in the case of FIG. 4, five parts feeders are shown), and supplies them to the rail 39 shown in FIG. Then, one or a specified number of parts P ₁ taken out at an appropriate time by a separating device 40 provided at the middle part of the rail 39 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to the part feeding direction of the parts feeder 38 from a discharge section 41. Chain 4 of a chain conveyor 42, which is a type of conveyor
3 and transported to the parts delivery section (working position) to the parts mounting device 2 or 3 shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 3, 45 is a plurality of hoppers arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, each accommodating a different type of part. Each of the hoppers 45 has a notch 46 having a constant width at its bottom, and a vertical part scoop 47 is fitted into the notch 46 so as to be vertically slidable. A fulcrum 51 on a rotating disk 50 that is freely swingable around a horizontal rotating shaft 49 attached to the rotating disk 50 and is actively rotationally driven by a motor 50 _a .
and a fulcrum 53 on a lever 52 fixed to the rotating shaft 49, and a crank mechanism 55 formed by a connecting rod 54, from the position 47 shown in the actual battle to the position 47' shown by the dashed line. It swings back and forth at a constant period.

Further, the rail 39 is connected to the parts scoop 47 and has a groove having a certain inclination angle and a groove in the center of which the part P ₁ can slide. Part P ₁ scooped up into a groove with a V-shaped or arc-shaped cross section is
When the parts scoop 47 swings to the uppermost position shown in actual combat, the rail 39 moves along the groove of the upper end surface 56.
The rail 39 slides down toward the ground, gets stuck in the groove of the rail 39 shown in FIG. 3, and slides down.

The following description is based on the head 57 as shown in FIG. 5a.
and a body portion 58 having a smaller diameter than the head portion 57, and a threaded portion 59 protruding downward from the head portion 59,
The trunk portion 58 is inserted into the longitudinal groove 61 of the rail 39.
(Fig. 5) Part P ₁ that slides down when inserted
will be explained as a specific example of a part.

Separating devices 40 are provided at the intermediate portions of the rails 39, respectively, and supply a fixed amount of parts _P1 at appropriate times.

Such a separation device 40 is shown in detail in FIG. That is, the separating device 40 is attached to a bracket 62 that is attached to one side of the rail 39 and has an L-shaped cross section. This bracket 62 includes a vertical wall portion 63 that is directly attached to the rail 39, and a vertical wall portion 63 that extends 90 degrees from the upper end of this vertical wall portion 63 in the direction of the rail 39.
It is composed of a horizontal wall portion 64 that is bent repeatedly.

A lever 67 is engaged via a pin 66 to the tip of the armature 65 of the solenoid SOL ₁ attached to the outer surface of the vertical wall portion 63 . Two elongated holes 68 are formed in this lever 67, and guide pins 70 are respectively fixed to two L-shaped brackets 69 attached to the vertical wall portion 63.
However, since the lever 67 is slidably fitted into the elongated hole 68, the lever 67 is slidable only in the direction of the elongated hole 68 using the guide pin 70 as a guide.

The lever 67 also has two pressing pins 71 _a and 71 _b located at a certain distance apart in the middle thereof.
is installed, and the lever 67 is moved by a tensioned tension spring 72 stretched between the one guide pin 70 and the pressing pin _71a .
is constantly biased in the direction of pulling armature 65 away from solenoid SOL ₁ .

Two fulcrum pins 7 are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal wall portion 64.
3 _a and 73 _b are implanted, and part stop levers 74 _{a and} 74 _b are swingably attached to the fulcrum pins 73 _a and 73 b, and these part stop levers 74 _a and 74 _b are respectively The fulcrum pins _73a and _73b are biased to rotate in the directions shown by arrows _76a and _76b in FIG. 5b by helical springs _75a and _75b wound around them.

As shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the parts stop lever _74a has a horizontal portion _78a to which the end 77a of the helical spring _75a is engaged, and a horizontal portion _78a that is bent 90 degrees in plan view from the horizontal portion _78a . The contact portion _79a contacts the pressing pin _71a by the biasing force of the helical spring _75a .
and the interference claw _{80a ,} which is bent vertically downward from the tip of the horizontal part 78a and is in a position where it can interfere with the threaded part 59 of part _P1 , and the interference claw _80a and the horizontal part _78a. A bolt attachment part _81a is bent vertically from one end of the horizontal part _78a at a right angle,
and an adjusting bolt 82 _a screwed onto a bolt mounting portion _{81 a .}
This is a stopper for determining the position of the parts stop lever _74a by coming into contact with the vertical wall portion 63 when it is rotated to the maximum extent in the direction _a .

Further, the parts stop lever 74 _b on the side attached to the fulcrum pin 73 _b is formed completely symmetrically with respect to the parts stop lever 74 _a , and a horizontal portion 78 _b is in contact with the parts stop lever 74 _a . Part _79b ,
It has an interference claw _80b , a bolt attachment part _81b , and an adjusting bolt _82b , and a helical spring _75b for rotating this is also formed in plane symmetry with respect to the helical spring _75a . The end portion _77b is engaged with the horizontal portion _78b of the parts stop lever _74b , and the arrow _76b
It is constantly urged to rotate in the direction of. The other ends 83 _a and 83 _{b of} the helical springs 75 _a and 75 b are adjusting bolts 85 _a and 85 _b respectively attached to long holes 84 _a and 84 _b bored in the horizontal wall 64.
The urging force of the helical springs 75 _a and 75 _{b can be adjusted by moving the mounting positions of the adjusting bolts 85 a and 85 b along the} long holes 80 _a and 80 _b . Note that the contact portion _79a ,
79 _b passes through a long hole 79 ′ bored in the vertical wall 63 and projects toward the lever 67 .

Further, the separation device 40 is attached to the rail 39 by a bolt installed in a vertical elongated hole 86 provided in the vertical wall portion 63, and its vertical mounting position can be freely adjusted through the elongated hole 86. The mounting height can be freely adjusted according to the height of the part _P1 to be worked on. Further, the lever 67 is provided with a number of holes 87 for installing the pressing pins 71 _a , and parallel to these holes, the fulcrum pin 73 _b can be installed by changing the position on the horizontal wall portion 64 side. A large number of holes 88 are drilled in a straight line so that For that purpose, press pin 71
By changing the mounting positions of the fulcrum pins _73a and _73b according to the positions of the holes 87 and 88, it is possible to handle parts of different sizes and change the number of parts to be separated for each movement. be.

Next, the operation of the separation device 40 will be explained using FIGS. 5b to 5d. Figure 5b shows the solenoid
With SOL ₁ energized, the armature 65 is drawn into the solenoid SOL ₁ , and the lever 67 is shown to be most biased towards the solenoid SOL ₁ . In this position, the parts stop lever _74b is biased by the helical spring _75b and is rotated to the maximum clockwise position, that is, the position where the stopper adjustment bolt _82b abuts the vertical wall 63. Therefore, in this state, the clock is moved until the interference claw 80 _b forming the tip of the part stop lever 74 _b interferes with the threaded part 59 of the part P ₁ fitted into the groove 61 of the rail 39. In this way, a large number of parts are dammed by the interference claw 80 _b on the upstream side of the interference claw 80 _b in the transport direction of the parts.

In addition, in this state, the downstream parts stop lever _74a , which swings around the fulcrum pin _73a , has its contact portion _79a pressed by the pressing pin _71a , and is rotated most clockwise. Therefore _, the interference claw _80a of the parts stop lever _74a comes off from the upper part of the groove 61 of the rail 39 and does not function to stop the parts. The part P ₁ inside slides down along the groove 61 and is dropped into the holder 44 via the ejection part 41 shown in FIG.

In this state, when the solenoid SOL ₁ is released from the energized state by a signal from the control device, the lever 67 is pulled by the tension spring 72 and the stopper 89 attached to the end of the armature 65 moves the solenoid SOL ₁ . They are pulled toward the guide pin 70 until they come into contact, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5c. This state is _opposite to the state _shown in FIG. , the threaded portion 59 of part P ₁ where the interference claw 80 _b slides down the groove 61
At the same time, the parts stop lever _74b on the upstream side is pushed against the force of the helical spring _75b by the guide pin _71b , and the part stop lever 74b on the upstream side is pushed against the force of the helical spring _75b . Since it has been rotated the most in the counterclockwise direction shown in the figure, the interference claw 80 _b , which had previously blocked the parts upstream of it by interfering with part P ₁ and threaded portion 59, is now part P ₁ .
The parts that were previously blocked slide down to a position where they come into contact with the interference claw _80a on the downstream side. FIG. 5c shows a state in which the most downstream part _P1 is in contact with the downstream interference claw _80a . Separation device 40
waits for the next parts feed signal in this state.

The next part feed signal from the control device is sent to the solenoid.
When transmitted to SOL ₁ , the solenoid is activated at that moment.
SOL ₁ is energized and armature 65 is
As shown in the figure, it is drawn into solenoid SOL ₁ , and the fifth
As shown in Figure b, the lever 67 is a solenoid.
You will be drawn to the position closest to SOL ₁ .
Therefore, in this state, as described in FIG. 5b above, the parts stop levers _74a and _74b are stopped at the position where they have rotated the most clockwise, and until then they are stopped by the interference claw _80a. The upstream interference claw 80 _b is attached to the threaded portion 59 of the part P ₁ ″ which is one position upstream of the most downstream part P ₁ ′ that was
interferes with the part P ₁ ″ and all the parts P ₁ upstream of it, and the interference claw 80 _a on the downstream side is removed from the interference position with the part, so until then, the part P 1 The part P ₁ ′ which has been dammed on the side is supplied to the holder 44 via the discharge section (FIG. 3) 41.

The holder 44 to which the part P ₁ is supplied in this way is
It is attached to the chain 43 disposed along the parts feeder 38 according to the pitch of each rail 39, and this chain 43 is attached to the tip of a support frame 92 disposed along the parts feeder 38 as shown in FIG. It is wound around a pair of sprockets _90a and _90b attached to the rear end, and is repeatedly driven and stopped periodically for each pitch p of the holder 44 by a motor 91 with a brake.

All the holders 44 have an L-shaped detection wing 93 attached to the right side as shown in FIG. 3, and a pair of proximity sensors 94 attached to the rear end of the support frame 92.
However, by detecting that the sensing blade 93 has reached a predetermined position, the motor 91 is de-energized and the brake is applied to stop the chain 43.
is run one pitch p at a time.

The proximity sensor pair 94 is configured by arranging an upstream sensor 94 _a and a downstream sensor 94 _b at a constant interval when viewed in the running direction of the chain 43 (indicated by arrow X), Each sensor can be configured with a magnetic sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, or any highly accurate proximity sensor. And the upstream sensor 94 _a
is for gently stopping the chain 43. That is, when the upstream sensor _94a detects the approach of the sensing blade 93, the control device controls the motor 9.
1 is stopped, and the chain 43 thereafter performs coasting operation, and its speed gradually decreases. When the speed of the chain 43 is reduced to a certain extent in this way, the detection blade 93 eventually reaches the downstream sensor 94 _b , and the control device that receives the signal from the downstream sensor 94 _b sends a brake signal to the motor 91. As a result, the brake is applied to the motor 91,
Chain 43 comes to a complete stop.

Also, from the parts feeder 38 to each holder 44
The supply of parts to the holders is performed based on a certain sequence, and therefore it is difficult to supply specific parts to the holders 44 that are stopped below each discharge section 41 (Fig. 3). It is necessary to determine this, but this can be done by simply detecting the number of folders from which the specific holder 44 is the first holder. Therefore, when the holder that provides parts at the beginning of the sequence comes directly under the corresponding discharge section 41, the downstream sensor 94 _b
The holder that has stopped at the position shown in FIG.
5 The holder stopped at position _b is detected as the rear end holder. Therefore, the first holder 44 _a
As shown in FIG. 3, a detection blade 96 similar to the detection blade described above is also attached to the left side of the holder, so that a pair of proximity sensors 94 and 95 can detect the leading holder and the trailing holder. However, the left sensing blade 96 shown in FIG. 3 is not provided on the holder 44 located between the leading and trailing ends.

As for the proximity sensor pair 95, the upstream sensor _95a determines when the motor 91 is no longer energized, and the downstream sensor _95b determines when the motor 91 at the rear end is completely stopped.

Note that 97 (Fig. 3) is a guide for guiding the part _{P 1} that has slipped down the rail ₃₉ so that it does not turn upside down when it falls. The mounting position and mounting angle can be adjusted using bolts 98. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 45 is configured to be able to swing in the vertical direction about a horizontal support shaft 99 provided at the rear of the upper part of the frame 48. This makes it easy to replace.

Furthermore, a photoelectric switch (not shown) or the like is provided behind the separating section 40 indicated by the arrow 100, and when the parts are dammed upstream beyond this point, the movement of the parts scoop 47 is stopped and the parts are removed. P ₁ rail 3
Prevent oversupply to 9. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, a parts detector 101 consisting of a photoelectric switch or the like is provided below the discharge section 44 to confirm the presence of the part _P1 supplied to the holder 41 stopped directly below. After the detector 101 confirms that the part P ₁ has been supplied from the separator 40 to the holder 44, the motor 91 is driven to start the chain 43 running.

As described above, the present invention provides a parts conveying device that conveys parts fed out in an aligned state from a plurality of hoppers each housing different types of parts by a parts feeder provided in each hopper to a common position. , a parts separation and feeding device that temporarily stores parts sent out from each parts feeder and sends them out in fixed quantities based on a sending command; and a single part separation and feeding device that is arranged along the plurality of hoppers and connected to the common position. a conveying device; a plurality of holders attached to the conveying device and receiving parts sent from the parts separating and feeding device at a stop position thereof; a holder position detector detecting the position of the holder; The parts separation and feeding device is configured to feed and transport parts by type to predetermined holders according to the procedure of work to be performed on the parts based on the holder position information from the position detector. and a control means for controlling the conveyance device, it is possible to reliably send out a predetermined number of parts, and also to separate these parts according to their type according to a predetermined work procedure. It can be efficiently transported to the desired position using a single transport device, making it suitable for use in automatic assembly lines, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an outline of the manufacturing process of a main body chassis for a copying machine to which the present invention can be applied, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the entire automatic assembly line for the chassis, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the parts conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a part separation and feeding device used in the parts conveying device, and FIG. 4A is a side view thereof. ,
Figures b to d are plan views showing the operating state of the separating and feeding device, respectively. Explanation of symbols, 38...Parts feeder, 39...
...Rail, 40...Separation feeding device, 44...Holder, 45...Hopper, 94...Parts detection device,
47... parts scoop, 67... lever, 72... tension spring, 43... conveyance device, 74... parts stop lever, 75... helical spring, 80...
Interference claw, SOL ₁ ... Solenoid, P... Part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a parts conveying device that conveys parts fed out in an aligned state from a plurality of hoppers each housing different types of parts by a parts feeder provided in each hopper to a common position, each a parts separation and feeding device that temporarily stores the parts sent out from the parts feeder and sends them out in fixed quantities based on a sending command; and a single transfer device that is arranged along the plurality of hoppers and connected to the common position. a plurality of holders that are attached to the transport device and receive parts sent from the parts separation and feeding device at their stop positions; a holder position detector that detects the positions of the holders; and a holder position detector that detects the positions of the holders. The parts separating and feeding device and the transporting device are arranged so that the parts can be fed and transported by type to a predetermined holder according to the procedure of the work to be performed on the parts based on the position information of the holder from the container. A parts conveyance device comprising a control means for controlling the device.